A CFL linebacker. The most notorious athlete in America. The connections exist and the NFL conceals them. But I have seen its true face…
In the last four seasons, the Lions and Seahawks have played each other only once. On October 28, 2012, Matthew Stafford led his team to a 28-24 comeback victory at Ford Field, with the help of a Russell Wilson interception thrown to Ricardo Silva (!) and a two-touchdown, nine-catch, 100-yard, breakout game from… Titus Young. :(
However, that single game belies the fact that Martin Mayhew’s Lions and Pete Carroll’s Seahawks have a surprisingly robust connection. Mayhew loves ex-Seahawks almost as much as he loves ex-Jaguars, and when he has to he’s not afraid to trade for them. Just look at the list of players who have come directly from the Seahawks to the Lions since 2010 (when Carroll rose to power).
Year |
Player |
How We Got Him |
2010 |
Unrestricted free agent, Seattle later received 2011 7th round compensatory pick, 242nd overall |
|
Rob Sims (plus 2010 7th round pick, 213th overall) |
2010 5th round pick, 133rd overall (plus DE Robert Henderson) |
|
2011 6th round pick, 173rd overall |
||
2013 |
Unrestricted free agent |
|
2014 |
Unrestricted free agent |
But wait, there’s more! On draft day Mayhew and Carroll have been active tango partners. Take a gander at their trades.
Year |
We Got |
They Got |
2011 |
2nd round pick, 57th overall; 5th round pick, 157th overall; 7th round pick, 209th overall |
3rd round pick, 75th overall; 4th round pick, 107th overall; 5th round pick, 154th overall; 7th round pick, 205th overall |
2013 |
5th round pick, 165th overall; 6th round pick, 199th overall |
5th round pick, 137th overall |
2014 |
2nd round pick, 40th overall; 5th round pick, 146th overall |
2nd round pick, 45th overall; 4th round pick, 111th overall; 7th round pick, 227th overall |
How did that go for us overall? Nate Burleson was either an integral or sorely missed part of our offense before he was finally defeated by pizza. Rob Sims is a starter and until last year was our best lineman. Lawrence Jackson contributed enough to be recognized by Pro Football Focus, once. Jason Jones looks to be a starting defensive end, and Golden Tate seems to be the complement to Calvin we’ve needed and he’s deserved.
What about the draft picks? For this post, I’m only considering them if they were then used to take a player. If the picks were traded further, it is as if they never existed. That rules out the two italicized picks in the table.
In 2010, we used the 7th rounder to draft Willie Young, who parlayed his work here into a contract with the Bears. Count that one as a success. With the 2011 picks, we got Mikel Leshoure, who might get cut soon, Doug Hogue, who was last seen in Manitoba, and Johnny Culbreath, who smoked himself out of the league. Yuck. The 2013 draft got us Sam Martin, who is awesome, and Theo Riddick, whose offseason hype is coming from outside the organization, a sign it could be legit. Most recently, we drafted Kyle Van Noy 40th overall to play a big role in Teryl Austin’s defense. Because of the massive stink bomb that was 2011, the draft picks are a wash, but if you include the veterans, on the whole Detroit’s link with Seattle has been a positive for the Lions.
How did Seattle do with what we gave them? Robert Henderson is gone. The Mikel Leshoure 3rd and 4th rounders got them G John Moffitt, who retired, and our very own Kris Durham, who didn’t last long with the Seahawks. Seventh round DE Lazarus Levingston has a cool name, but no job. They traded up in 2013 to get DT Jesse Williams, who has spent his short NFL career on injured reserve. Rookie WR Paul Richardson and rookie FB Kiero Small have looked good in camp, but everyone looks good in camp.
These aren’t the best results. Did the Seahawks get any benefit from trading with us? Let’s see. They used the 2011 compensatory pick to take Super Bowl XLVIII MVP Malcolm Smith. But few of us would say that he was the reason for their victory. They used the 2011 6th rounder to take Byron Maxwell, who filled in admirably for the suspended Brandon Browner. But Maxwell was exposed as the season went on. They used the 2010 5th rounder to take Pro Bowl safety Kam Chancellor, who probably should have been Super Bowl MVP.
They used the 2011 5th rounder to take Richard Sherman.
…
What the heck?
…
Somehow, three of the four starting members of the Legion of Boom were drafted with picks that the Lions traded to the Seahawks. The exception is the indispensable Earl Thomas. But wait! Seattle drafted Thomas with a first rounder that noted idiot Josh McDaniels sent to them for the privilege of drafting Alphonso Smith, who, after busting on the Broncos, eventually made his way to… Detroit. The connection is complete. Every Legion member has a Lions counterpart. Here are the results. Look on, ye Mighty, and despair!
Lion |
Seahawk |
Lawrence Jackson |
Byron Maxwell |
Rob Sims |
Kam Chancellor |
Doug Hogue (or Mikel Leshoure) |
Richard Sherman |
Alphonso Smith |
Earl Thomas |
Were Mayhew’s trades worth the cost? Will the compensatory pick the Seahawks get for Golden Tate be a difference maker? Do the examples of disappointing offensive players and linemen drafted by Seattle bode ill for Paul Richardson? Will Kyle Van Noy pan out? Was Richard Sherman destined to be drafted 154th overall, regardless of who held the pick? Is this all just a big coincidence?
I leave the conclusion entirely in your hands.